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Some things are just better together. I feel this way about gold and marble. I can’t seem to get enough of this luxurious pairing, but the cost (not to mention the weight!) can add up quickly, so I made it my mission to find a way to create the look for less.

Below you will find instructions on how to create a gold and faux marble shelving unit for $70 to $110 depending on the size of the unit you choose. Buying a genuine marble and gold shelving unit at a store will likely cost upwards of $1000, so this DIY will save you a ton.

The quantities listed below are for the large Vittsjo unit. If you Choose the skinnier or shorter versions you can likely cut one roll of marble contact paper and one can of spray paint. The project can be completed in less than 2 hours.

For safety I also recommend a reusable respirator to avoid breathing in the paint fumes and rubber or gardening gloves to keep the paint off of your hands.

After assembling the shelving unit, remove the shelves and set the unit on top of the drop cloth. It’s easier to apply the spray paint in a controlled area like a garage where you aren’t affected by the wind, but make sure you have adequate ventilation (leave door open).

Follow the directions on the paint can. Don’t hold the can too close to the shelving unit and keep moving it while you spray or you will get drip marks. If you get drip marks, wipe them off and respray the area. I did one coat and touched it up within an hour as needed. Let it dry for 10 hours before attempting to move it. I noticed that the paint chips somewhat easily so be careful and keep extra paint for touch ups.

Next measure and apply the contact paper to the bottom and top shelves. Use the shower squeegee to smooth the paper and prevent bubbles. If you get bubbles you can pull the paper back and start again. I left the three glass shelves as is, but you can technically apply the paper to the glass shelves as well. You would need three additional rolls of contact paper.

I love decorating, but I have always fallen short when it comes our walls. The task of selecting artwork, framing it and hanging it has always led to hours of frustration followed by nothing actually be hung up. Not to … Continue reading →

Ah, window treatments. The cost and countless options may make you want to put off their installation forever, but they make such a huge impact from both a design and functionality standpoint that you will regret not making them a top priority. Today we have a guest post by Jessica Kane to help take the guess work out of deciding what window treatments are right for your home.

Choosing Between Blinds and Curtains

When it comes to dressing up windows in the home there are two basic options, curtains or blinds. There are several things to take into consideration when deciding between the two.

Curtains: The Pros

As far as décor goes, curtains take the cake. Curtains are far more visually appealing and offer a lot more variety than blinds. Curtains also allow sun to peak through, which can offer a more visually appealing look to a room.

Curtains offer more warmth and sophistication to a room.

Thicker curtains offer a good amount of privacy by simply pulling them closed.

Curtains do not require much cleaning beyond a good wash every three to four months and the occasional spray of Fabreeze.

Installing curtains is relatively simple, requiring a rod, screws, hooks and a power drill. Most individuals can install curtains on their own without the help of a professional.

Curtains can last for a long time as long as they are treated properly, washed every few months and kept clear of cats that love to climb.

Curtains: The Cons

Curtains tend to be a lot more expensive than regular blinds.

Curtains can be difficult to find when looking for specific colors or styles.

In order to keep light out of a room, curtains need to be fairly thick, which can cause problems when it comes to installment or cleaning.

Curtains tend to be harder to pull closed than blinds, especially if they are thicker. Often, they can get caught or twisted.

When curtains do need to be cleaned, it is a longer process, often requiring dry cleaning.

Blinds: The Pros

Blinds offer a more professional appearance that goes well with office or business spaces.

Several variations of blinds offer things such as wood that create a more visually appealing look than the plastic variations.

Blinds are a lot cheaper than most curtain sets.

Specific styles of blinds tend to be a lot easier to find than specific curtain styles.

Blinds are hard to beat when it comes to functionality. They are easily adjusted to open and close and keep the light from coming into a room.

As far as privacy goes, blinds are some of the best, easily blocking the view through any window.

Blinds: The Cons

Blinds are not as visually appealing as curtains.

Blinds need to be cleaned weekly and attract a large amount of dust. Individuals who are allergic to dust often suffer from having blinds within their home.

Installing blinds tends to be more complicated and often requires the help of a professional.

Blinds often break easily and need to be replaced a lot quicker than curtain sets.

Taking everything into account, at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference whether blinds or curtains come out on top.

When I decided to try my hand at reupholstering a set of antique chairs, I feared that it would be way more trouble than it was worth, but I was willing to try, hoping that after I invested the initial time to learn the process, it would result in some fun, future projects.

I set to work watching YOUTUBE videos, googling step-by-step instructions and picking the brain of an expert friend who had done quite a few pieces. In the end, it wasn’t easy, but the tips saved me a ton of frustration and the end result was really rewarding. If you are thinking of reupholstering a piece, here are the steps and tips that helped make my experience relatively painless.

1. Buy cheap – Antique chairs are on trend and many resellers have adjusted their prices accordingly. In many cases, this means that it might not even be cost-effective to reupholster an old piece. I purchased these chairs for $40 each. They were in great condition despite their age and their shape was really unique. They were also really comfortable. Your costs can get a bit out of hand if you have to fix the chair frame, cannot reuse the foam/padding or have to refinish the wood.

Where to shop:

My two favorite Chicago spots are Brownstone and Mercantile M, where I purchased these chairs. Both places offer very fair prices and great delivery rates if you are buying bigger pieces.

Craigslist, Goodwill, Salvation Army and Estatesales.net are also gold mines, but you usually have to arrange your own delivery.

2. Get a quote from a professional reupholster or two – I was quoted $250 per chair plus the cost of the fabric, so I determined that it was worth it for me to try to do it myself.

3. Make sure you have the right tools – I borrowed a staple gun and a compressor from a contractor friend after I was told that a manual staple gun wouldn’t produce ideal results, not to mention the fact that it would be hard on my hands. You might be able to rent these items from Home Depot. I was told that you can buy a great staple gun for $100 and add a battery that gives you a power boost that is not as strong as a compressor, but is much better than a manual staple gun for another $100. Probably worth the investment if you like DIY projects.

Tool summary:

– Staple gun with a compressor or battery pack and staples

– Pliers (to remove old staples, or in my case about 200 nails), there are also other tools that will make this step even easier.

– A butter knife – Key for prying the fabric and trim away from the chair without cutting yourself on a staple or nail in the process.

– Face mask – Old chairs can be dusty during disassembly

– Fabric glue – I didn’t end up using any, but it is often necessary (or an easier solution) for trim

– Nails and a hammer – For use in the areas where the staples can’t achieve a secure enough hold. I only used one nail.

– Fabric shears or really sharp scissors. No need to buy the $30 sheers, but an upgrade to a $5 new pair will make your life easier.

– A rug, blanket or tarp to protect your floor

– Fabric and trim– more on this later

4. Choose the right fabric, buy extra and use a coupon – I would highly recommend using upholstery fabric as it is rated to stand up to extra wear and tear. I purchased this blue velvet hexagon fabric from the Joanne Fabrics website (which has a better selection than the stores). It was originally very expensive, but here’s a tip that will save you tons of money – Joann Fabrics has great coupons and if you get a coupon for 50% off one item (which they always seem to have), it’s actually 50% off your entire order of that individual fabric even though it’s sold by the yard. Google Joann Fabric coupons, download their app or simply go to the website where they often post coupons. I was told that I would need 3 yards of fabric per chair, but I actually used quite a bit less (see tips on how to maximize your fabric below).

5. If your chair needs any repairs, do it now. Also, if you want to paint, polish or lacquer the wood, it is much easier to do it now as well so you don’t have to worry about protecting the fabric.

Now you are ready to reupholster your chair!

Step 1, Disassembly: Take apart the chair, paying careful attention to how the chair was constructed so you can replicate the process. If the seat cushion is removable the process will be much easier (this wasn’t the case for the chairs I chose, of course). Remove all nails and staples that were used to secure the fabric carefully as you might want to reuse the trim (I wrapped the old trim chord in my new fabric to save lots of time). Set aside the foam, fabric and trim, keeping each section together and label them if you have a very complex chair. See a pic of my “naked” chair frame below. There is often a correct order for reupholstering. For example, for my chairs, I need to start with the seat cushion, followed by the front side of the chair back and then the backside of the chair back because the fabric had to be pulled through the back gap of the chair where the seat cushion met the chair back and stapled on top of one and other from the back. Make sure you are on the look out for this as you are disassembling a chair.

Step 2, Cutting the fabric: Once you have taken the chair apart completely, lay the old fabric on top of your new fabric, using it as a pattern. In order to save on fabric, arrange the pieces in a way that allows you to waste as little fabric as possible. Cut your new fabric an inch or so wider than the old fabric so you have a bit more to work with (this is true for all areas EXCEPT the corners, you don’t want to have too much excess fabric here. Everywhere else you can easily trim off the excess fabric once the staples are in place and it will be easier to staple the fabric (and safer for your fingers!) if you have a little excess fabric to grasp.)

Step 3, Stapling: Start stapling in the middle of each section and pull the fabric taunt, but not too taunt. If you pull it too tight, your chair could look lumpy or the fabric could look misaligned, conversely, if you don’t put it tight enough you will see fabric bunches and it won’t look professional. Do a couple of staples at a time and then check your alignment to make sure the fabric remains straight. This is what the chair looked like before the trim.

Step 4, Adding the trim: You can often buy trim at a fabric store, which is definitely the easier way to go. If you can’t find a trim that matches or provides the look you want, the next best solution is to use the same fabric to make the trim. In this case, I wrapped the old double-cord trim in my new fabric, stapling it in the middle so you can’t see the staples. The hard part was making sure that the middle staples went through the ends of both sides of the fabric in the back as well.
Step 5, add embellishments: The final optional step is to add some extra embellishments to jazz things up. I chose removable Peacock feathers (purchased at Michael’s) for a touch of playful opulence and color. They are just taped to the back of the chair in this case. You could also add fringe to the bottom of the chair or a cute pillow (stay tuned for my post on DIY no sewing required pillows).

It took me about 4 hours to do my first chair from start to finish, mainly due to the learning curve and the fact that the previous upholster used a ton of nails, which proved to be very difficult to remove. I also took lots of stretching breaks as it was quite hard on the back. I figure I will be able to do the second chair in less than three hours. The total cost, including the purchase price for the chair, came in at $100/chair. Not bad for a unique, comfortable chair and bragging rights :)

Disclosure: I only feature products on my blog that I recommend. All photos on the site are mine unless otherwise specified. Please do not use my content without linking back to my blog. I sometimes include affiliate links, which pay me a small commission if products are purchased via my blog. I occasionally do sponsored posts. Sponsored posts still contain my opinion alone and will be identified as sponsored posts. Thanks for visiting!